Tomato-Sausage Sauce Reviews

"When my son was young," writes Mary Gareffa of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, "he used to tease me for standing over the pot of sauce, stirring and simmering it slowly, but that's the way my father showed me. A sauce is like a baby; you have to be gentle with it. And I know I must be doing something right, because my grandson, Jason, called me just last week to get the recipe."

This quick and easy version of Mary's heirloom recipe is ready in under an hour.

Leave a Review

Reviews

users rating4/4

This was soooo good. I used Hunt's Diced Tomatoes with Green Pepper, Celery & Onion because thats what I had. And I blended the onion, Garlic and parsley in my processor before I read instructions, but I think I'll do that next time too because it tasted great that way and looked pretty at the end. I didnt use the herbs they ask, I just used some of my italian seasoning.

I use this as a basis for a sauce that is southern Italian, made with lots of meat. I remove the sausage from the casings. I shred a carrot to sauté with the onions and garlic to add a little sweetness. I add about 1/2 cup red wine and a parmesan rind. I add a box of tomato puree when I can find it and I use whole San Marzano tomatoes that I crush with my hands when adding. Then, I add 4 beef ribs, or a small beef roast or beef tenderloin, 2 or 4 chicken thighs with skin and bone and red pepper flakes. I use fresh basil, fresh Italian parsley and a good oregano - preferably Greek. I cook it for about 3 hours. If made in Italy, they would remove the meat pieces and serve them separately after a first course of spaghetti with just the sauce. I usually remove the meat pieces, shred them and put them back in the sauce. I learned this from a friend who has an Italian husband and spends a few months a year in Italy.

Holy cow, this was good. High quality ingredients made this simple sauce crazy delicious! I used local, organic, homemade sausages, really fragrant olive oil, fresh basil instead of dried, herbes de Provence instead of oregano because that's what we had on hand, the heel from a wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano, and omitted the parsley. I recommend making a double batch. I wish I had.

I thought this
turned out very
well. I did not make
the meatballs with
it as I figured the
sausage was enough.
This is a good base
for making many
different types of
pasta dishes. Next
time I might use
ground beef, make
meatballs or make it
into a spicier
sauce. This one is a
keeper that wont get
old.

This is the basic spaghetti sauce I've been looking
for all these years! I used loose sausage so it
"melted" into the sauce and made it meaty and thick. I left out the parsley because I had none and it made no difference. Yum.

With two adults and two small children, a double batch easily covers three to four meals. Instead of simmering the sauce, I throw the sauteed onions, etc in a crockpot with the rest of the ingredients, then put in the (raw) meatballs without browning them, and cook on low for six hours or more. It is easier that way and reduces the amount of fat by quite a bit, while retaining excellent flavor. It freezes very well.

This recipe really is quite easy, fast and you can adapt it in many ways. My partner is vegetarian, so I ommit the sausage. I used fresh basil instead of dried and I add 1/4 cup of red wine, for that special touch. You dont need another Tomato Sauce recipe...this one is the one you're looking for!

This is the best
sausage sauce
(gravy) I have ever
made! the couple of
changes I made were
to use turkey
Italian sausage
links which I took
the casings off and
crumbled. I did not
use the meatball
recipe because I
use my late italian
grandmothers...howev
er my secret
ingredient that I
put in all of my
sauces is at least
one short beef rib,
just like nanny
taught me. It gives
it a unique meaty
flavor. Thanks for
sharing this recipe
and coincidentally
my grandmother is
from Calabria!
guess we are
Paisans!

This is the best sauce I have ever made. I chopped up the sausage, added ground beef, used onion powder instead of whole onion. I made double the sauce and froze the extra in zip locks... The sauce withstands its flavor.. Its incredible. My fiancee and his children love it and can't wait to have it.